Carbon recycling and reinvestment using thermochemical regeneration

Abstract

Techniques, systems, apparatus and material are disclosed for regeneration or recycling of carbon dioxide into renewable liquid fuel. In one aspect, a method of recycling carbon to produce a renewable fuel can include harvesting carbon dioxide emitted from an industrial process. Biomass waste is dissociated under an anaerobic reaction to produce hydrogen. The harvested carbon dioxide is reacted with the biomass waste produced hydrogen under pressure and heat to generate a renewable fuel.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of recycling carbon to produce a renewable fuel, the method comprising:
 harvesting carbon dioxide emitted from an industrial process; 
 dissociating biomass waste under an anaerobic process to produce one or more carbon donors and hydrogen, wherein the biomass produced hydrogen includes low specific energy hydrogen; 
 separating the biomass produced hydrogen from the biomass produced one or more carbon donors; 
 generating thermochemically shifted carbon monoxide and additional hydrogen by reacting the harvested carbon dioxide with the biomass waste produced one or more carbon donors; and 
 reacting the thermochemically shifted carbon monoxide with the biomass produced hydrogen and the additional hydrogen in a hydrogen-dense fuel generating reactor under pressure and heat to cause the low specific energy hydrogen to react with the thermochemically shifted carbon monoxide to generate a hydrogen-dense renewable fuel. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more carbon donors comprises at least one of hydrocarbon and alcohol. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the renewable fuel comprises at least one of alcohol and ether. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein the alcohol comprises at least one of methanol and ethanol; and
 the ether comprises dimethyl ether (DME). 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , comprising converting the DME to generate a polymer precursor to a durable good. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , comprising adding a catalyst to enhance production of the renewable fuel wherein the catalyst comprises at least one of transition metal carbides, borides, and nitrides. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the transition metal carbides, borides, and nitrides comprise at least one of Fe 3 C, Co 3 C, Co 3 Fe 3 C 2 , Mn 3 C, FeC 3 , CoC 3 , CoFeC 6 , MnFeC 6 , Mn 5 C 2 , MnFeC 6 , Fe 3 Cr 3 C 2 , Fe 3 Co 2 BNC 2 , Fe 3 VC 2 , Fe 4 NC 2 , Fe3MoC 2 , and Fe 5 BNC. 
     
     
       8. A method of recycling carbon to produce a renewable fuel, the method comprising:
 harvesting carbon dioxide emitted from an industrial process; 
 dissociating biomass waste under an anaerobic process to produce carbon monoxide, one or more carbon donors and hydrogen, wherein the hydrogen is produced from the dissociation of the biomass waste at a remote location, the dissociating the biomass waste including:
 thermochemically producing hydrocarbons and the one or more carbon donors from the biomass waste as a transportable precursor to hydrogen at a first location where the biomass is dissociated, 
 transporting in the hydrocarbons through a pipeline, and 
 separating the hydrocarbons into the carbon monoxide and the hydrogen at the remote location; 
 
 generating thermochemically shifted carbon monoxide and additional hydrogen by reacting the harvested carbon dioxide with the biomass waste produced one or more carbon donors; 
 reacting the biomass produced carbon monoxide and the thermochemically shifted carbon monoxide with the biomass produced hydrogen and the additional hydrogen under pressure and heat to generate a renewable fuel; and 
 converting at least a portion of the renewable fuel to a carbon-based durable good. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more carbon donors comprises at least one of hydrocarbon and alcohol. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the renewable fuel comprises at least one of alcohol and ether. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the alcohol comprises at least one of methanol and ethanol; and
 the ether comprises dimethyl ether (DME). 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , comprising converting the DME to generate a polymer precursor to a durable good. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 8 , comprising adding a catalyst to enhance production of the renewable fuel wherein the catalyst comprises at least one of transition metal carbides, borides, and nitrides. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the transition metal carbides, borides, and nitrides comprise at least one of Fe 3 C, Co 3 C, Co 3 Fe 3 C 2 , Mn 3 C, FeC 3 , CoC 3 , CoFeC 6 , MnFeC 6 , Mn 5 C 2 , MnFeC 6 , Fe 3 Cr 3 C 2 , Fe 3 Co 2 BNC 2 , Fe 3 VC 2 , Fe 4 NC 2 , Fe3MoC 2 , and Fe 5 BNC.